Went and bought the Double Chocolate mint and didn't understand why its called "Double choc". It has only a tinee winee hint of any minty taste and the taste doesn't blend at all. Also bought the Cranberry and felt that it actually tasted abit weird and too dry.
Both flavors gave me the feeling that Little Jerry's wants to do it good but doesn't put in enough effort. Both flavors also leaves a floury after-taste that coats the mouth uncomfortably.
Service wasn't too good as well though the shop front looks good.
Although the price is lower than Famous Amos or or Mrs Fields, I will gladly pay more for Famous Amos delicious cookies than Little Jerry's. However, there are other flavors like the Oat or Macadamia flavor that I would like to try as they look nice to me... will update the review once I tried the rest.
I had walked past this place so many times and yet I had not had a thought of walking in for a meal. There are a few reasons, first being there always seem to be a long queue outside the restaurant. Secondly, the place serves the kind of food that does not appeal to me. Thirdly, I was always in rush when I was walking past this place. So finally one fine day, we decided to give this place a try, well there was no queue and I thought that it was all good timing. I sort of regretted my choice when I stood there waiting to be shown to a table.
The place did not seem crowded, in fact can see a few empty tables, but we have to wait at the counter. It seems like the waiters and waitresses, even the managers (well they are the ones wearing more formal), are all very busy and everywhere except the counter where we are waiting. Not even one saw us standing at the counter, making me like an idiot. After about 5 mins of waiting, I told my partner that I will count to five, if till then, no one comes up to us, we will go another place for dinner. Lucky enough (don’t know for them or us), we were ushered to a table that is pretty much near to the edge of the corridor where tons and tons of people walked past, felt like animals on display.
The decoration of the place is pretty much trying to be hip and getting the attention of the teenagers, so that they can come in, eat and spend money. There is a pool table to play and even a candy floss station where you can get free candy floss. There are tables like a capsule where a big group can be seated together. The rest of the tables are like those normal kind.
Well after the bad start, my mood was not very good to start off with. Being seated at that location, it was difficult to get the attention of the waiters. It was really frustrating but finally managed to get one and come and take our orders. So what we ordered?
Root beer float @ $7.60: This came in the A&W style. Big mug of nice cold root beer with a big scoop of ice cream in it. Nothing special but it still taste great. Nice. I do find it a bit expensive for it though. Sigh.
London style fish and chip @ $9.90: This came with a big piece of fish, chips and tartar sauce. That it! No coleslaw or salad or whatever. This is really a ripped off! The fish is a bit flaky, not really fresh, maybe frozen. The batter is a bit too thick. Nothing to wow about. I wonder what do they mean by the London part. I understand in London they served it with vinegar but I dun see them doing that. Hmm….. This is really disappointing.
American Coleslaw @ $4.90: I don’t know it is me or the coleslaw but I do find the taste of the coleslaw a bit weird. Maybe too much mayo or too much vinegar but it does not taste like any normal coleslaw. I got to say this is one of the worst coleslaw that I ever eaten. It was so bad that I did not even finished the whole coleslaw. It is that bad. There is no way I am going to order that again.
Rotisserie Chix Whole @ $14.90: After eating or tasting all the above mentioned food, I did not have high expectation for this dish. However, I was wrong. The dish turned out to be great. The chicken was moist and tender, not dry at all. The size of the chicken is also quite huge, for small eaters, they can just order this and share. The sauce that came with the chicken is perfect for it. This dish is above average. Try this and you will not regret especially after a string of disappointments. This is the one that deserves 4 stars.
After this, we decided to give the desserts a miss and asked for the bill. Again, it took us sometime to get the attention of the waiters for the bill. The bill came to us pretty fast but we paid for it and waited for it to return. We waited and waited with the water at least topped up twice. We asked for the waiter to check on the bill but it seems that it never came back. I wonder why? In the end, I got a bit pissed off and signaled to the manager and ask him to check the bill which after a wait of 10 mins, the waiter finally brought it back to us. I really wonder what happen at that time. I have therefore decided after this experience, there is NO CHANCE that I will ever return to this place for any meal ever again!
Held our annual excuse to dine out in the guise of mother's day at Si Chuan Dou Hua, Plaza Park Royal. Scarred from the barely satisfying dinner at Sun Japanese Dining last year, my family decided to stick to the traditional Chinese route this year. Expectations were high as I had a relatively good experience at Si Chuan Dou Hua UOB Plaza at the beginning of last year.
Wood seems to be the focus for the entire restaurant, with overhanging oriental lamps capping a most traditional Chinese interior that oozes finesse through its plush carpeted floors and doorway arches. Here you can peer through the floor to ceiling windows but the view really isn't something you would want to see - tour coaches.
I liked the keropok (crackers) which came in the usual fish and prawn variety. Crackling with every bite, it wasn't soft or soggy and made for a rather unusual but pleasing appetiser.
Sliced Beef and Tripe in Chilli Sauce - A most appetite whetting way to start off our meal, the sliced beef and tripe was nice and chewy and not to mention very spicy from all the chilli oil. This dish has a rating of 5 chillis on the menu, probably the most number awarded. Just a side comment (please correct me if I am wrong), Szechuan chilli seems to be all about spice and no fragrance.
Eight Treasure Seafood Soup - My choice of soup the last time round and this time as well. The soup definitely doesn't conform to the traditional seafood soup with its greenish colour due to the addition of ground spinach to the mix. It tasted exactly like shark's fin soup, a tad starchy with tiny bits and pieces of shark's fin, scallops, fish maw etc. Overall quite a tasty soup which bears the signature dish tag adequately.
Spicy Pork Belly - Chilli oil plus fatty pork belly is a sure fire recipe for cardiac arrest. And with the pork belly this average, I would rather listen to my doctor. Sure, the pork was chewy and not too spicy but all I could taste was the chilli and nothing else. It definitely didn't help that the pork slices were a tad too dry for my liking as well.
Fried Bittergourd with Bean Paste - A terribly executed dish honestly. The whole dish was very salty and the bittergourd was very plain bitter. Cooking the bittergourd with other stuff like beef would have made it alot better in my humble opinion. So much for a $15 plate of vegetables.
Beancurd with Dried Scallop - I'm a sucker for beancurd and this one didn't disappoint. Nice and smooth with a light smoky aftertaste. Only gripe I had was that the skin seemed a tad too dry and shrivelled. The accompanying gravy was good as well, not too starchy with shredded scallops. Very nice.
Steamed Garoupa - Have you ever eaten a garoupa, or fish for that matter, that costs $300/kg? Well its definitely a first for me and probably the last. The black garoupa, though extremely fresh and sweet with a firm meat texture to boot, cost a whooping $225 . How's that for a shocker? Pretty fishy business if you ask me.
Braised Pork Spare Rib - I really didn't quite take to the spare rib. For starters, it was way too fatty and the sauce was too sweet. The meat was also a tad too soft though still fibrous. Probably the only thing that I liked was the stick shaped man tou which was nice and crispy on the outside yet soft and compact on the inside. And at $10/piece, its definitely not cheap.
Peking Duck - Speechless. That was my initial reaction after popping a slice of the skin covered with a crepe into my mouth. The skin wasn't crispy and instead, tasted soft and limp with lots of fats underneath it. Adding to that was the non egg based crepe which was way too thick and chewy for my liking. We opted to stir fry the remains for the duck with noodles and even that tasted flat as the noodles were soft and bland.
Custard Bun - Honestly I've never had custard bun for dessert before or seen it listed under the dessert section of a menu because its usually under the dim sum portion. The custard bun was seriously quite good but very sinful with all the oil in it. Biting into one releases a gush of melted butter and custard which is guaranteed to make your heart stop. Traces of egg yolk were present in the filling as evident by the sediment. However I would have preferred a slightly more coagulated filling with a stronger custard taste .
Yam Rolls - The second of our complimentary desserts, the yam rolls were essentially yam paste wrapped up in deep fried dough and coated with sesame at both ends. The yam paste tasted like a milder version of Orh Nee and actually went quite well with the dough and sesame, very much like eating dough fritters with a sweet filling.
Fine Beancurd with Syrup - As mentioned before, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out, from its name, that Si Chuan Dou Hua is known for its dou hua aka fine beancurd. At $3 a pop, this is one expensive bowl of dou hua. But I like it quite a bit. Silky smooth yet firm through the addition of egg. You get to decide how much sugar syrup you want in it as well.
The food at Si Chuan Dou Hua was a case of hits and misses but for the price, $550 for 5 pax for lunch, its pure insanity. If the desserts weren't complimentary, we would probably be paying something to the tune of $600. Would you pay so much for a meal like that?
Together with few Yebbers, we joined a foodie eat out at Tea Cosy. We had a selection of mains from the planned menu just for the gathering.
For the set, there was the homemade mushroom soup, infamous decadent salad, choice of main (laksa pasta, grilled lime chicken and pan fried foie gras). Paid $25.90 for pasta or chicken. Those who took the foie gras paid $32.90 .
It took them quite awhile to get the soup served. The mushroom soup was alright. Nothing special about it. Then after another long wait, the salad came.
It's quite sad to see the portion smaller than usual. Isn't it supposed to be a special promotional set? Promotional in terms of pricing and not the serving size right? If paying lesser for sets means getting lesser in serving, than what's the point of getting the promotion? Or at least it should be made aware to the customers that the salad served will be of sampling size or something? That aside, everyone at my table had to agree that the salad live up to its standard. The mayo on it was very tasty. Vegetables was fresh and the entire combination (with the saddening few tiny pieces of foie gras) was good. This will be the only thing that'll tempt me to go back for more.
The chicken was alright. Grilled to slightly charred on the outside and the sauce was alright only. Vegetables on the side could have been crunchier.
The desserts were not bad and I'll recommend girls who want a place to hang out over mini tea party to check Tea Cosy out. It's quite an experience with all the unique antique furnitures.
Overall my first experience at Tea Cosy was average. At times I feel upset too. This I shall not talk about it since it was a miscommunication between the mid-shift waitress they hired just for that night and us. In fact, the management should have given a better briefing before the night. Or perhaps get a more experience waitress the next time.
The only think I remember now is the smelly table. :(
It was quite a bad experience when I was there for dinner. When we walked into the sitting/dining area behind the serving/ordering counter, the place was quite messed up with tables and chairs misaligned and many tables uncleared. We sat ourselves at the "cleaniest" table we can find and looked at the menu. The food was quite cheap and there were quite a lot of variety. Then we spotted a piece of A6 paper with scribbling of some promo set available. $7.90 for main course with drink. (Can't remember if there's soup thou.)
We ordered the Grilled Sirloin Steak and Seafood Aglio Oli both at promotional price of $7.90. Added Fried Calamari for starter.
While waiting for the order, a lady came to clean our tables and after she wiped the table, there was a strong stinge of smell left behind by the cloth she used! It was as thou the cloth has been left unwashed for few days! Smell worst then toilet can? What disgusted me more was that the same pair of hands that handled the smelly table cloth was serving the food and folding paper napkins loh! I had to apply medicated oil on my nose to cover the smell. And when our food was served, all my appetite was gone. Good thing the food was still presentable the least.
When my steak came, I then realised that we didn't get to choose the done-ness of it. It was cooked, almost to complete well done. So it was too tough to chew. Didn't really enjoy it. Boyfriend's pasta was a tad better. At least the seafood was presentable and of a good size. There was more of a black pepper taste instead of how aglio olio pasta should taste like.
Our starter was then served after the main courses. (Hmm...) We should have expected what was served since it was only $2.50 for the Fried Calamari. It was pathetic and the calamari was overcooked. Again too tough to chew.
Guess I was just unlucky to get this kind of experience at Spagetti Too since the 2 ladies before me enjoyed themselves at the same location. Chef was different perhaps. And the lady serving was different too?
Food: 3 out of 5
Service: 2 out of 5
Cleanliness: 1.5 out of 5
Value for money: 3 out of 5
With its own on-site coffee roasting facilities in its flagship gourmet coffee house at Holland Village, Coffee Club took the coffee culture by storm and set a new standard in the industry in 1991. However, even with 21 outlets today, this flagship outlet remains close to my heart, even as a non-coffee lover. I like the impeccable service and aromatic coffee there and recently, its newly launched menu gave me more enticement to visit this place. I gave the NEW Banana Butterscotch Latte ($6.20) a try and what you get is an interesting blend of a very rich and sweet latte that is of acquired taste. Don’t get me wrong, the coffee was still aromatic, but I find the butterscotch flavour too overwhelming and with the addition of the banana in it, the drink was just too sweet for my liking – perhaps someone with a sweeter tooth will appreciate it better!
The NEW Spice Chicken Wings ($8.50) marinated with lemon juice was a delight. So much so that we devoured it within minutes. The skin was well marinated and the savoury & sour combination was truly pleasurable. The only flaw was that the greens that accompanied with it was all dried and wrinkled, and the texture was too rough for consumption – the least I expected was some olive oil drizzled on it – as I found out later that they only served salad dressing to their specialty salad dishes.
Thankfully, the NEW dessert in town saved the night – Chocolate Delice ($7.00), consisting of bittersweet chocolate mousse with chocolate syrup drenched over it and vanilla ice cream on a base of crisp, flaky puff pastry accompanied by crunchy Valrhona rice crispies, this dessert is a winner in many ways. Presentation wise – it was brilliant, taste wise – the chocolate mousse is beyond description, one simply has to taste it to know what I mean. If one enjoys Bakerzin’s signatured Warm Chocolate Cake, then this cold dessert is the one for you!
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
Ever since Marutama entered the ramen scene, there hadn’t been a new entrant that created such a wave of euphoria as one like Ramen Santouka. Touted as the 1st place winner in the most delicious ramen noodle salt-flavoured soup category by the popular magazine “Hokkaido Walker” in the year 2006, this place is also famous for its house speciality of Tokusen Toroniku, or Choice Pork that is said to be limited to 60 servings per day! This is because only 200 to 300 grams of this highly coveted pork cheek, known for its taste and tenderness, can be found per pig.
After hearing so much rave reviews of this place, my cousin and I set off for dinner at The Central. Finding this outlet is a little tricky – hidden away in the corner of 2nd floor, one would need to cut through Grains, which occupy both sides of the passageway to get to it. What greeted us was a nice frontage that grants one a view of the Singapore River, but inside was a pretty small outlet that I suspect, sit not more than 20 pax.
Beside their award winning Shio, or Salt Flavoured Ramen, Ramen Santouka also offers Shoyu, or Soy Sauce Flavoured Ramen and Miso, Soybean Paste Flavoured Ramen, along with Kara-Miso, or spicy version of the Miso. We pick the Shoyu and Miso ($12.00 each), along with sides of Tokusen Toroniku ($8.00), Gyoza ($5.00) and Komi-Tamago, or Flavoured Egg ($1.00). The Choice Pork was the first to arrive and I was surprise by its tenderness despite the lacked of marbling fats. This result in a texture that provides one with a bite before the meat disintegrates into the mouth. However, Marutama’s Char Siu is still the one to beat in terms of tenderness IMHO.
The Flavoured Egg was next to arrived and to say I was disappointed was an understatement. In fact it was done so badly that ‘disgust’ would be a better word to describe it. The yolk was way too overcooked till the side has hardened, and there was hardly any flavour on the white. It was so bad that I did not even finished it and definitely not even worth the dollar I have paid for it.
The Ramen was served next and the first remark my cousin made was “Oh, certainly looks like Maggie Mee to me”. The noodle was fat and curly, similar to Miharu, though texture wise a tad rougher. My bet on why people are coming back lies on the milky Tonkotsu soup based. However, before one complains that the soup does not come piping hot enough, be made known that it is intentionally done so that elderly and child can enjoy it better and reassured that it is also within this temperature that their soup is most delicious. The soup was so rich and intense, that I rate it slightly better than Ichiban-Tei, but too much of it and one might find it greasy. Both of us agree that the Shoyu was also slightly better than the Miso.
The Gyoza eventually arrived after a wait but it was nothing to shout about. Not that it was bad, but nothing noteworthy to mention really.
Overall, my preference is still Marutama on the 3rd level, despite its not so intense soup. The only reason I can see why I should be back is to sample the award winning Shio version, otherwise it would not merit a re-visit especially after the explicitly outrageous experience of its Tamago.
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
After staying away from sweet and oily donuts for awhile, I decided that its time to try something new. Saw this store at IMM few times I was there and finally decides to try it.
I used to be a fan for egg tarts before the craze for donuts. And this little store serves sweet little tarts with quite a number of different fillings. The original one looks like the usual Portuguese's egg tarts but of a different shape. I bought two flavors, the Melting Chocolate (shown in photo) and the Strawberry one.
The tart is soft yet the texture is well maintained. It's not too buttery nor eggy. Taste is just right. Topped with chocolate chips and inside filled with melted chocolate. The piece I got, the chocolate was only visible when I bite off almost half of the tart. But once there, every bite into the tart is greeted with just the right amount of melted chocolate and egg. Great delight when ate while its still warm.
The strawberry filling one is a tad too sweet for my liking. Perhaps the next time I will give the savory choices a try. They've the Mushroom Chicken and Pepper Chicken tarts too. Pretty unique since most egg tarts sold in the market are usually sweet ones.
The only sad part is their pricing. Each tart goes at $1.20. And you'll only save $1.20 if you buy 12 pieces. Not that encouraging for customers to want to buy more at a go. 12 pieces is a tad too many, unless you're buying for a party or to share with friends at gatherings ya?
Met up with a few friends for an ad hoc dim sum lunch on the weekends at the St Regis restaurant called Yan Ting. St Regis is billed as a six star hotel with both the hotel and the restaurant run under the Starwood hotel management company. The executive chef of Yan Ting however, is Mr Chan Siu Kong, a Hong Konger who left his post as a chef with the Tung Lok group to helm this 6 month old restaurant. Reviews of the food has been mixed at best for its dinner and lunch offerings so we were there to find out how its dim sum held up to scrutiny instead.
The screen shots above should give you a rough idea of exactly what kind of place this is. It is definitely posh with its million dollar chandeliers and stained glass window ornaments. Even the table settings have a undeniable style to eat with its gold themed cutlery and cups. The service begins the moment you reach the hotel and extends to the lift, which has a seat inside should you be so inclined, to the impeccable attitude of the manager and the serving staff in the restaurant. Six star is definitely not exaggerating when you talk about this hotel and to cut the story short, i enjoyed my visit the moment i set foot into the place. Alas, the place also comes with obvious six star pricing and the same goes for Yan Ting and the dim sum. Everything is priced at per piece rates or per person rates with nothing in between. So its important to come with a well versed idea of what is good or bad and thats what this blog can help you with.
Premium Chinese Tea ($5 per person), Amuse Bouche - The tea, of which i've forgotten what kind it is, is conveniently light and palatable for washing down the food which we will be having in a while. At $5 a person, its pretty much on the expensive side for a simple offering though. The amuse bouche is made of small fried shrimps and chicken floss which yields a sweet and tangy flavor while the cucumber neutralizes and tones down the taste for a balanced flavor.
Har Gao aka Shrimp Dumplings ($2 per piece) - The shrimp dumplings that came were bigger then usual with a generous amount of shrimp stuffed into each dumpling, i count about 2 to 3 shrimps can fit into the dumpling (mashed up of course). The skin is light and surprisingly thin which means you'll get the shrimp taste immediately without delay. The price is still a little over the top though.
Char Siew Sor ($1.60 per piece) - Drop everything you are doing now and go out to Yan Ting to buy the char siew pastries aka char siew sor. I'm not kidding. This has to be the best tasting char siew sor i've ever had the privilege to eat. Succulent and sweet char siew wrapped in a wonderful pastry with a light butter undertone. What you get is an extremely fragrant and wonderfully tasty treat not to be missed. One is never enough so this is a must try!
XO Fried Chee Cheong Fun ($4 a serving) - Everyone would have heard about XO carrot cakes but this is the first time i've had an XO chee cheong fun. To sum up the taste, it basically tastes like our homely Char Kway Teow albeit a little more fragrant and less oily. I also could not discern the taste of the XO sauce in any way. It was interesting but really could be better.
Siew Mai ($2 per piece) - The siew mai is bigger then usual and is basically a more stuffed version of this common snack. The meat is lean and the prawn is very fresh and tasty but still, it hardly justifies the price.
Char Siew Bao ($1.60 per piece) - The pork bun was rather pleasing to me. I liked the tasty BBQ pork which has predominantly lean meat. No fatty meat here and the way it was prepared was with a slightly sweet sauce which is delectable. The fluffy bun itself was light and easily likable. Still too expensive though.
Chives Dumpling and Beancurd Roulette ($2 and $1.80 per piece) - The chives dumpling was quite a let down really. The dumpling itself is pan fried and has a crunchy and soft exterior while the chives within was strangely lacking in taste. Now, chives is something you either love or hate with a passion, i love chives but when a chives dumpling comes without a strong chives taste, something has to be wrong somewhere. The Beancurd roulette was a rather oily experience but there's no denying that its crunchy and fragrant. The fillings were pretty decent as well, being sweet and strangely juicy (probably due to the oil).
Custard Bun ($1.60 per piece) - Its more or less a given that i would order the custard buns whenever they serve the little addictions, but Yan Ting's rendition left me wanting, not in a good way though. I like the softness and fluffiness of the bun but the fillings were rather ordinary and left little impression.
Egg Tarts ($1.60 per piece) - The egg tarts were really small when served and had one major flaw in them. The filling simply wasn't good. I found the tart tasteless and it wasn't even sweet enough while the only thing that was good was the pastry, which had the same buttery taste the superb char siew sor had.
Radish Cake ($1.60 per piece) - The radish cake was simple enough, pan fried till slightly crispy and served. It was rather normal with the usual trappings of being smooth, slightly oily and had a nice touch of having carrot slices within but otherwise, it was rather normal. The one saving grace here was the chili, which was excellent and should be used whenever a chance is given.
Xiao Long Bao ($4 per piece) - The Xiao long Bao was ridiculously expensive at $4 a piece but was a rather big portion when it was served. In average, it was about the size of half a char siew bao if you need to know the proportion. It also turned out to be one of the better items that day, make no mistake, it was filled with soup and pork meat. The skin itself was a thicker version so that it could contain the bigger amount of soup and the soup itself was excellent without having a strong pork taste to it. Overall, i'd say this is one of the better Xiao Long Bao's i've had so far. Still ridiculously expensive though.
Chicken Wrapped in Glutinous Rice ($1.80 per serving) - This is without a doubt one of the biggest let downs that day. Served last as it was a last minute order, the glutinous rice was lacklustre and lacked much taste. An egg yolk can be found in the centre with there are portions of mushroom and chicken wrapped into the rice but it was still strangely lacking in the taste department. Leave this out when you visit.
HoneyDew Melon ($6 per serving) - What i had was a simple and cleansing honeydew melon dessert which was refreshing, mildly sweet and tasty. In fact, i found it very tasty and recommend it as a dessert if you visit.
The final bill for this little dim sum affair came up to $204.60 for 5 people which works out to be about $42 per head. I'd say that it was reasonable but certain orders can definitely be left out.
I can't say i didn't enjoy myself in the place. The service is faultless and the ambiance has to be experienced to be believed. Its the closest i could get to feeling like a king in a posh environment and not feel out of place. The manager was also kind to introduce us to the different rooms and offerings which was very professional. Food wise, though there were still misses, the misses were still above average and the hits are definitely worth your while to try. I'd return if only for the char siew sor alone.
One day, decided to pop by this outlet of Hanabi to try out their ala carte buffet with my gf as of yet to try it before.
As compared to the ala carte buffet at HONJIN, I find that the variety here is so much more and definitely more appealing in terms of taste and presentation. I especially liked teh sashimi platter, which had salmon, tuna, sea bream, hamachi, octopus and squid. Thinking of it just makes my saliva drool again.haha!!
As for the other foods, such as the Tori Karaage, skewed chicken, maki sushi, tempura and Kagiage, they were quite tasty as well. However, the chawamushi was not as smooth as I would have liked it to be. The taste was there but not the texture of the egg as I had ate at several other Japanese restaurants.
In addition, the air-conditioning seems a bit weak and we did perspire slightly. Nevertheless, I think that this is a place for a good Japanese buffet and the price is quite reasonable as well with us paying $77 for two adults. So do give it a try and see for yourself.
1=SGD 0.0587
Went and bought the Double Chocolate mint and didn't understand why its called "Double choc". It has only a tinee winee hint of any minty taste and the taste doesn't blend at all. Also bought the Cranberry and felt that it actually tasted abit weird and too dry.
Both flavors gave me the feeling that Little Jerry's wants to do it good but doesn't put in enough effort. Both flavors also leaves a floury after-taste that coats the mouth uncomfortably.
Service wasn't too good as well though the shop front looks good.
Although the price is lower than Famous Amos or or Mrs Fields, I will gladly pay more for Famous Amos delicious cookies than Little Jerry's. However, there are other flavors like the Oat or Macadamia flavor that I would like to try as they look nice to me... will update the review once I tried the rest.
Rating given:
I had walked past this place so many times and yet I had not had a thought of walking in for a meal. There are a few reasons, first being there always seem to be a long queue outside the restaurant. Secondly, the place serves the kind of food that does not appeal to me. Thirdly, I was always in rush when I was walking past this place. So finally one fine day, we decided to give this place a try, well there was no queue and I thought that it was all good timing. I sort of regretted my choice when I stood there waiting to be shown to a table.
The place did not seem crowded, in fact can see a few empty tables, but we have to wait at the counter. It seems like the waiters and waitresses, even the managers (well they are the ones wearing more formal), are all very busy and everywhere except the counter where we are waiting. Not even one saw us standing at the counter, making me like an idiot. After about 5 mins of waiting, I told my partner that I will count to five, if till then, no one comes up to us, we will go another place for dinner. Lucky enough (don’t know for them or us), we were ushered to a table that is pretty much near to the edge of the corridor where tons and tons of people walked past, felt like animals on display.
The decoration of the place is pretty much trying to be hip and getting the attention of the teenagers, so that they can come in, eat and spend money. There is a pool table to play and even a candy floss station where you can get free candy floss. There are tables like a capsule where a big group can be seated together. The rest of the tables are like those normal kind.
Well after the bad start, my mood was not very good to start off with. Being seated at that location, it was difficult to get the attention of the waiters. It was really frustrating but finally managed to get one and come and take our orders. So what we ordered?
Root beer float @ $7.60: This came in the A&W style. Big mug of nice cold root beer with a big scoop of ice cream in it. Nothing special but it still taste great. Nice. I do find it a bit expensive for it though. Sigh.
London style fish and chip @ $9.90: This came with a big piece of fish, chips and tartar sauce. That it! No coleslaw or salad or whatever. This is really a ripped off! The fish is a bit flaky, not really fresh, maybe frozen. The batter is a bit too thick. Nothing to wow about. I wonder what do they mean by the London part. I understand in London they served it with vinegar but I dun see them doing that. Hmm….. This is really disappointing.
American Coleslaw @ $4.90: I don’t know it is me or the coleslaw but I do find the taste of the coleslaw a bit weird. Maybe too much mayo or too much vinegar but it does not taste like any normal coleslaw. I got to say this is one of the worst coleslaw that I ever eaten. It was so bad that I did not even finished the whole coleslaw. It is that bad. There is no way I am going to order that again.
Rotisserie Chix Whole @ $14.90: After eating or tasting all the above mentioned food, I did not have high expectation for this dish. However, I was wrong. The dish turned out to be great. The chicken was moist and tender, not dry at all. The size of the chicken is also quite huge, for small eaters, they can just order this and share. The sauce that came with the chicken is perfect for it. This dish is above average. Try this and you will not regret especially after a string of disappointments. This is the one that deserves 4 stars.
After this, we decided to give the desserts a miss and asked for the bill. Again, it took us sometime to get the attention of the waiters for the bill. The bill came to us pretty fast but we paid for it and waited for it to return. We waited and waited with the water at least topped up twice. We asked for the waiter to check on the bill but it seems that it never came back. I wonder why? In the end, I got a bit pissed off and signaled to the manager and ask him to check the bill which after a wait of 10 mins, the waiter finally brought it back to us. I really wonder what happen at that time. I have therefore decided after this experience, there is NO CHANCE that I will ever return to this place for any meal ever again!
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Held our annual excuse to dine out in the guise of mother's day at Si Chuan Dou Hua, Plaza Park Royal. Scarred from the barely satisfying dinner at Sun Japanese Dining last year, my family decided to stick to the traditional Chinese route this year. Expectations were high as I had a relatively good experience at Si Chuan Dou Hua UOB Plaza at the beginning of last year.
Wood seems to be the focus for the entire restaurant, with overhanging oriental lamps capping a most traditional Chinese interior that oozes finesse through its plush carpeted floors and doorway arches. Here you can peer through the floor to ceiling windows but the view really isn't something you would want to see - tour coaches.
I liked the keropok (crackers) which came in the usual fish and prawn variety. Crackling with every bite, it wasn't soft or soggy and made for a rather unusual but pleasing appetiser.
Sliced Beef and Tripe in Chilli Sauce - A most appetite whetting way to start off our meal, the sliced beef and tripe was nice and chewy and not to mention very spicy from all the chilli oil. This dish has a rating of 5 chillis on the menu, probably the most number awarded. Just a side comment (please correct me if I am wrong), Szechuan chilli seems to be all about spice and no fragrance.
Eight Treasure Seafood Soup - My choice of soup the last time round and this time as well. The soup definitely doesn't conform to the traditional seafood soup with its greenish colour due to the addition of ground spinach to the mix. It tasted exactly like shark's fin soup, a tad starchy with tiny bits and pieces of shark's fin, scallops, fish maw etc. Overall quite a tasty soup which bears the signature dish tag adequately.
Spicy Pork Belly - Chilli oil plus fatty pork belly is a sure fire recipe for cardiac arrest. And with the pork belly this average, I would rather listen to my doctor. Sure, the pork was chewy and not too spicy but all I could taste was the chilli and nothing else. It definitely didn't help that the pork slices were a tad too dry for my liking as well.
Fried Bittergourd with Bean Paste - A terribly executed dish honestly. The whole dish was very salty and the bittergourd was very plain bitter. Cooking the bittergourd with other stuff like beef would have made it alot better in my humble opinion. So much for a $15 plate of vegetables.
Beancurd with Dried Scallop - I'm a sucker for beancurd and this one didn't disappoint. Nice and smooth with a light smoky aftertaste. Only gripe I had was that the skin seemed a tad too dry and shrivelled. The accompanying gravy was good as well, not too starchy with shredded scallops. Very nice.
Steamed Garoupa - Have you ever eaten a garoupa, or fish for that matter, that costs $300/kg? Well its definitely a first for me and probably the last. The black garoupa, though extremely fresh and sweet with a firm meat texture to boot, cost a whooping $225 . How's that for a shocker? Pretty fishy business if you ask me.
Braised Pork Spare Rib - I really didn't quite take to the spare rib. For starters, it was way too fatty and the sauce was too sweet. The meat was also a tad too soft though still fibrous. Probably the only thing that I liked was the stick shaped man tou which was nice and crispy on the outside yet soft and compact on the inside. And at $10/piece, its definitely not cheap.
Peking Duck - Speechless. That was my initial reaction after popping a slice of the skin covered with a crepe into my mouth. The skin wasn't crispy and instead, tasted soft and limp with lots of fats underneath it. Adding to that was the non egg based crepe which was way too thick and chewy for my liking.
We opted to stir fry the remains for the duck with noodles and even that tasted flat as the noodles were soft and bland.
Custard Bun - Honestly I've never had custard bun for dessert before or seen it listed under the dessert section of a menu because its usually under the dim sum portion. The custard bun was seriously quite good but very sinful with all the oil in it. Biting into one releases a gush of melted butter and custard which is guaranteed to make your heart stop. Traces of egg yolk were present in the filling as evident by the sediment. However I would have preferred a slightly more coagulated filling with a stronger custard taste .
Yam Rolls - The second of our complimentary desserts, the yam rolls were essentially yam paste wrapped up in deep fried dough and coated with sesame at both ends. The yam paste tasted like a milder version of Orh Nee and actually went quite well with the dough and sesame, very much like eating dough fritters with a sweet filling.
Fine Beancurd with Syrup - As mentioned before, it doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out, from its name, that Si Chuan Dou Hua is known for its dou hua aka fine beancurd. At $3 a pop, this is one expensive bowl of dou hua. But I like it quite a bit. Silky smooth yet firm through the addition of egg. You get to decide how much sugar syrup you want in it as well.
The food at Si Chuan Dou Hua was a case of hits and misses but for the price, $550 for 5 pax for lunch, its pure insanity. If the desserts weren't complimentary, we would probably be paying something to the tune of $600. Would you pay so much for a meal like that?
See all my pictures here.
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Love the salad and desserts.
Together with few Yebbers, we joined a foodie eat out at Tea Cosy. We had a selection of mains from the planned menu just for the gathering.
For the set, there was the homemade mushroom soup, infamous decadent salad, choice of main (laksa pasta, grilled lime chicken and pan fried foie gras). Paid $25.90 for pasta or chicken. Those who took the foie gras paid $32.90 .
It took them quite awhile to get the soup served. The mushroom soup was alright. Nothing special about it. Then after another long wait, the salad came.
It's quite sad to see the portion smaller than usual. Isn't it supposed to be a special promotional set? Promotional in terms of pricing and not the serving size right? If paying lesser for sets means getting lesser in serving, than what's the point of getting the promotion? Or at least it should be made aware to the customers that the salad served will be of sampling size or something? That aside, everyone at my table had to agree that the salad live up to its standard. The mayo on it was very tasty. Vegetables was fresh and the entire combination (with the saddening few tiny pieces of foie gras) was good. This will be the only thing that'll tempt me to go back for more.
The chicken was alright. Grilled to slightly charred on the outside and the sauce was alright only. Vegetables on the side could have been crunchier.
The desserts were not bad and I'll recommend girls who want a place to hang out over mini tea party to check Tea Cosy out. It's quite an experience with all the unique antique furnitures.
Overall my first experience at Tea Cosy was average. At times I feel upset too. This I shall not talk about it since it was a miscommunication between the mid-shift waitress they hired just for that night and us. In fact, the management should have given a better briefing before the night. Or perhaps get a more experience waitress the next time.
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The only think I remember now is the smelly table. :(
It was quite a bad experience when I was there for dinner. When we walked into the sitting/dining area behind the serving/ordering counter, the place was quite messed up with tables and chairs misaligned and many tables uncleared. We sat ourselves at the "cleaniest" table we can find and looked at the menu. The food was quite cheap and there were quite a lot of variety. Then we spotted a piece of A6 paper with scribbling of some promo set available. $7.90 for main course with drink. (Can't remember if there's soup thou.)
We ordered the Grilled Sirloin Steak and Seafood Aglio Oli both at promotional price of $7.90. Added Fried Calamari for starter.
While waiting for the order, a lady came to clean our tables and after she wiped the table, there was a strong stinge of smell left behind by the cloth she used! It was as thou the cloth has been left unwashed for few days! Smell worst then toilet can? What disgusted me more was that the same pair of hands that handled the smelly table cloth was serving the food and folding paper napkins loh! I had to apply medicated oil on my nose to cover the smell. And when our food was served, all my appetite was gone. Good thing the food was still presentable the least.
When my steak came, I then realised that we didn't get to choose the done-ness of it. It was cooked, almost to complete well done. So it was too tough to chew. Didn't really enjoy it. Boyfriend's pasta was a tad better. At least the seafood was presentable and of a good size. There was more of a black pepper taste instead of how aglio olio pasta should taste like.
Our starter was then served after the main courses. (Hmm...) We should have expected what was served since it was only $2.50 for the Fried Calamari. It was pathetic and the calamari was overcooked. Again too tough to chew.
Guess I was just unlucky to get this kind of experience at Spagetti Too since the 2 ladies before me enjoyed themselves at the same location. Chef was different perhaps. And the lady serving was different too?
Food: 3 out of 5
Service: 2 out of 5
Cleanliness: 1.5 out of 5
Value for money: 3 out of 5
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With its own on-site coffee roasting facilities in its flagship gourmet coffee house at Holland Village, Coffee Club took the coffee culture by storm and set a new standard in the industry in 1991. However, even with 21 outlets today, this flagship outlet remains close to my heart, even as a non-coffee lover. I like the impeccable service and aromatic coffee there and recently, its newly launched menu gave me more enticement to visit this place. I gave the NEW Banana Butterscotch Latte ($6.20) a try and what you get is an interesting blend of a very rich and sweet latte that is of acquired taste. Don’t get me wrong, the coffee was still aromatic, but I find the butterscotch flavour too overwhelming and with the addition of the banana in it, the drink was just too sweet for my liking – perhaps someone with a sweeter tooth will appreciate it better!
The NEW Spice Chicken Wings ($8.50) marinated with lemon juice was a delight. So much so that we devoured it within minutes. The skin was well marinated and the savoury & sour combination was truly pleasurable. The only flaw was that the greens that accompanied with it was all dried and wrinkled, and the texture was too rough for consumption – the least I expected was some olive oil drizzled on it – as I found out later that they only served salad dressing to their specialty salad dishes.
Thankfully, the NEW dessert in town saved the night – Chocolate Delice ($7.00), consisting of bittersweet chocolate mousse with chocolate syrup drenched over it and vanilla ice cream on a base of crisp, flaky puff pastry accompanied by crunchy Valrhona rice crispies, this dessert is a winner in many ways. Presentation wise – it was brilliant, taste wise – the chocolate mousse is beyond description, one simply has to taste it to know what I mean. If one enjoys Bakerzin’s signatured Warm Chocolate Cake, then this cold dessert is the one for you!
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
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Ever since Marutama entered the ramen scene, there hadn’t been a new entrant that created such a wave of euphoria as one like Ramen Santouka. Touted as the 1st place winner in the most delicious ramen noodle salt-flavoured soup category by the popular magazine “Hokkaido Walker” in the year 2006, this place is also famous for its house speciality of Tokusen Toroniku, or Choice Pork that is said to be limited to 60 servings per day! This is because only 200 to 300 grams of this highly coveted pork cheek, known for its taste and tenderness, can be found per pig.
After hearing so much rave reviews of this place, my cousin and I set off for dinner at The Central. Finding this outlet is a little tricky – hidden away in the corner of 2nd floor, one would need to cut through Grains, which occupy both sides of the passageway to get to it. What greeted us was a nice frontage that grants one a view of the Singapore River, but inside was a pretty small outlet that I suspect, sit not more than 20 pax.
Beside their award winning Shio, or Salt Flavoured Ramen, Ramen Santouka also offers Shoyu, or Soy Sauce Flavoured Ramen and Miso, Soybean Paste Flavoured Ramen, along with Kara-Miso, or spicy version of the Miso. We pick the Shoyu and Miso ($12.00 each), along with sides of Tokusen Toroniku ($8.00), Gyoza ($5.00) and Komi-Tamago, or Flavoured Egg ($1.00). The Choice Pork was the first to arrive and I was surprise by its tenderness despite the lacked of marbling fats. This result in a texture that provides one with a bite before the meat disintegrates into the mouth. However, Marutama’s Char Siu is still the one to beat in terms of tenderness IMHO.
The Flavoured Egg was next to arrived and to say I was disappointed was an understatement. In fact it was done so badly that ‘disgust’ would be a better word to describe it. The yolk was way too overcooked till the side has hardened, and there was hardly any flavour on the white. It was so bad that I did not even finished it and definitely not even worth the dollar I have paid for it.
The Ramen was served next and the first remark my cousin made was “Oh, certainly looks like Maggie Mee to me”. The noodle was fat and curly, similar to Miharu, though texture wise a tad rougher. My bet on why people are coming back lies on the milky Tonkotsu soup based. However, before one complains that the soup does not come piping hot enough, be made known that it is intentionally done so that elderly and child can enjoy it better and reassured that it is also within this temperature that their soup is most delicious. The soup was so rich and intense, that I rate it slightly better than Ichiban-Tei, but too much of it and one might find it greasy. Both of us agree that the Shoyu was also slightly better than the Miso.
The Gyoza eventually arrived after a wait but it was nothing to shout about. Not that it was bad, but nothing noteworthy to mention really.
Overall, my preference is still Marutama on the 3rd level, despite its not so intense soup. The only reason I can see why I should be back is to sample the award winning Shio version, otherwise it would not merit a re-visit especially after the explicitly outrageous experience of its Tamago.
You can view more photos and other reviews @ His Food Blog.
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Mini delights to warm one's heart.
After staying away from sweet and oily donuts for awhile, I decided that its time to try something new. Saw this store at IMM few times I was there and finally decides to try it.
I used to be a fan for egg tarts before the craze for donuts. And this little store serves sweet little tarts with quite a number of different fillings. The original one looks like the usual Portuguese's egg tarts but of a different shape. I bought two flavors, the Melting Chocolate (shown in photo) and the Strawberry one.
The tart is soft yet the texture is well maintained. It's not too buttery nor eggy. Taste is just right. Topped with chocolate chips and inside filled with melted chocolate. The piece I got, the chocolate was only visible when I bite off almost half of the tart. But once there, every bite into the tart is greeted with just the right amount of melted chocolate and egg. Great delight when ate while its still warm.
The strawberry filling one is a tad too sweet for my liking. Perhaps the next time I will give the savory choices a try. They've the Mushroom Chicken and Pepper Chicken tarts too. Pretty unique since most egg tarts sold in the market are usually sweet ones.
The only sad part is their pricing. Each tart goes at $1.20. And you'll only save $1.20 if you buy 12 pieces. Not that encouraging for customers to want to buy more at a go. 12 pieces is a tad too many, unless you're buying for a party or to share with friends at gatherings ya?
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Met up with a few friends for an ad hoc dim sum lunch on the weekends at the St Regis restaurant called Yan Ting. St Regis is billed as a six star hotel with both the hotel and the restaurant run under the Starwood hotel management company. The executive chef of Yan Ting however, is Mr Chan Siu Kong, a Hong Konger who left his post as a chef with the Tung Lok group to helm this 6 month old restaurant. Reviews of the food has been mixed at best for its dinner and lunch offerings so we were there to find out how its dim sum held up to scrutiny instead.
The screen shots above should give you a rough idea of exactly what kind of place this is. It is definitely posh with its million dollar chandeliers and stained glass window ornaments. Even the table settings have a undeniable style to eat with its gold themed cutlery and cups. The service begins the moment you reach the hotel and extends to the lift, which has a seat inside should you be so inclined, to the impeccable attitude of the manager and the serving staff in the restaurant. Six star is definitely not exaggerating when you talk about this hotel and to cut the story short, i enjoyed my visit the moment i set foot into the place.
Alas, the place also comes with obvious six star pricing and the same goes for Yan Ting and the dim sum. Everything is priced at per piece rates or per person rates with nothing in between. So its important to come with a well versed idea of what is good or bad and thats what this blog can help you with.
Premium Chinese Tea ($5 per person), Amuse Bouche - The tea, of which i've forgotten what kind it is, is conveniently light and palatable for washing down the food which we will be having in a while. At $5 a person, its pretty much on the expensive side for a simple offering though. The amuse bouche is made of small fried shrimps and chicken floss which yields a sweet and tangy flavor while the cucumber neutralizes and tones down the taste for a balanced flavor.
Har Gao aka Shrimp Dumplings ($2 per piece) - The shrimp dumplings that came were bigger then usual with a generous amount of shrimp stuffed into each dumpling, i count about 2 to 3 shrimps can fit into the dumpling (mashed up of course). The skin is light and surprisingly thin which means you'll get the shrimp taste immediately without delay. The price is still a little over the top though.
Char Siew Sor ($1.60 per piece) - Drop everything you are doing now and go out to Yan Ting to buy the char siew pastries aka char siew sor. I'm not kidding. This has to be the best tasting char siew sor i've ever had the privilege to eat. Succulent and sweet char siew wrapped in a wonderful pastry with a light butter undertone. What you get is an extremely fragrant and wonderfully tasty treat not to be missed. One is never enough so this is a must try!
XO Fried Chee Cheong Fun ($4 a serving) - Everyone would have heard about XO carrot cakes but this is the first time i've had an XO chee cheong fun. To sum up the taste, it basically tastes like our homely Char Kway Teow albeit a little more fragrant and less oily. I also could not discern the taste of the XO sauce in any way. It was interesting but really could be better.
Siew Mai ($2 per piece) - The siew mai is bigger then usual and is basically a more stuffed version of this common snack. The meat is lean and the prawn is very fresh and tasty but still, it hardly justifies the price.
Char Siew Bao ($1.60 per piece) - The pork bun was rather pleasing to me. I liked the tasty BBQ pork which has predominantly lean meat. No fatty meat here and the way it was prepared was with a slightly sweet sauce which is delectable. The fluffy bun itself was light and easily likable. Still too expensive though.
Chives Dumpling and Beancurd Roulette ($2 and $1.80 per piece) - The chives dumpling was quite a let down really. The dumpling itself is pan fried and has a crunchy and soft exterior while the chives within was strangely lacking in taste. Now, chives is something you either love or hate with a passion, i love chives but when a chives dumpling comes without a strong chives taste, something has to be wrong somewhere.
The Beancurd roulette was a rather oily experience but there's no denying that its crunchy and fragrant. The fillings were pretty decent as well, being sweet and strangely juicy (probably due to the oil).
Custard Bun ($1.60 per piece) - Its more or less a given that i would order the custard buns whenever they serve the little addictions, but Yan Ting's rendition left me wanting, not in a good way though. I like the softness and fluffiness of the bun but the fillings were rather ordinary and left little impression.
Egg Tarts ($1.60 per piece) - The egg tarts were really small when served and had one major flaw in them. The filling simply wasn't good. I found the tart tasteless and it wasn't even sweet enough while the only thing that was good was the pastry, which had the same buttery taste the superb char siew sor had.
Radish Cake ($1.60 per piece) - The radish cake was simple enough, pan fried till slightly crispy and served. It was rather normal with the usual trappings of being smooth, slightly oily and had a nice touch of having carrot slices within but otherwise, it was rather normal. The one saving grace here was the chili, which was excellent and should be used whenever a chance is given.
Xiao Long Bao ($4 per piece) - The Xiao long Bao was ridiculously expensive at $4 a piece but was a rather big portion when it was served. In average, it was about the size of half a char siew bao if you need to know the proportion. It also turned out to be one of the better items that day, make no mistake, it was filled with soup and pork meat. The skin itself was a thicker version so that it could contain the bigger amount of soup and the soup itself was excellent without having a strong pork taste to it. Overall, i'd say this is one of the better Xiao Long Bao's i've had so far. Still ridiculously expensive though.
Chicken Wrapped in Glutinous Rice ($1.80 per serving) - This is without a doubt one of the biggest let downs that day. Served last as it was a last minute order, the glutinous rice was lacklustre and lacked much taste. An egg yolk can be found in the centre with there are portions of mushroom and chicken wrapped into the rice but it was still strangely lacking in the taste department. Leave this out when you visit.
HoneyDew Melon ($6 per serving) - What i had was a simple and cleansing honeydew melon dessert which was refreshing, mildly sweet and tasty. In fact, i found it very tasty and recommend it as a dessert if you visit.
The final bill for this little dim sum affair came up to $204.60 for 5 people which works out to be about $42 per head. I'd say that it was reasonable but certain orders can definitely be left out.
I can't say i didn't enjoy myself in the place. The service is faultless and the ambiance has to be experienced to be believed. Its the closest i could get to feeling like a king in a posh environment and not feel out of place. The manager was also kind to introduce us to the different rooms and offerings which was very professional. Food wise, though there were still misses, the misses were still above average and the hits are definitely worth your while to try. I'd return if only for the char siew sor alone.
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One day, decided to pop by this outlet of Hanabi to try out their ala carte buffet with my gf as of yet to try it before.
As compared to the ala carte buffet at HONJIN, I find that the variety here is so much more and definitely more appealing in terms of taste and presentation. I especially liked teh sashimi platter, which had salmon, tuna, sea bream, hamachi, octopus and squid. Thinking of it just makes my saliva drool again.haha!!
As for the other foods, such as the Tori Karaage, skewed chicken, maki sushi, tempura and Kagiage, they were quite tasty as well. However, the chawamushi was not as smooth as I would have liked it to be. The taste was there but not the texture of the egg as I had ate at several other Japanese restaurants.
In addition, the air-conditioning seems a bit weak and we did perspire slightly. Nevertheless, I think that this is a place for a good Japanese buffet and the price is quite reasonable as well with us paying $77 for two adults. So do give it a try and see for yourself.
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